


Point of No Return

by xxTigerAvatarxx



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-13
Updated: 2013-02-13
Packaged: 2017-11-29 03:07:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,397
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/682013
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xxTigerAvatarxx/pseuds/xxTigerAvatarxx
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>How had he even reached this point? How had he driven himself so far as to fall completely head over heels for the young boy he had come to see as his own son? How had he reached this breaking point; the point of no return? **WARNING: non-con, mentions of suicide** Parental!Roy, OOC!Hughes. Not for the faint of heart… You've been warned.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Point of No Return

This was bad.

This was very, very bad.

How had he even reached this point? How had he driven himself so far as to fall completely head over heels for the young boy he had come to see as his own son? How had he reached this breaking point; the point of no return? Maes Hughes found he could no longer be around the child, could no longer stand within the confines of the same room as him, as he knew he would do something he would ultimately regret. Every innocent brush of his fingertips across his as they reached for a desired object simultaneously, each bemused laugh he gave, each grateful smile which graced his lips sent the Lieutenant Colonel’s mind reeling.

Of course, he still cared deeply for Gracia, and Elicia remained the very center of his world... But there was something about the kid that lit a fire deep within him, making him sweat bullets before the boy had even opened his mouth. There was something deeply unsettling about lying beside your wife in bed, knowing that the source of your desire lay sleeping just behind a thin plaster wall.

It nearly drove him to insanity, being so near to the boy and yet never being granted the chance to touch him…

He rubbed his eyes in frustration and used his cotton undershirt to wipe the smudges from his glasses, before sighing in defeat. Why had his legs brought him here in the first place? Standing outside the office door of his dearest friend was certainly not where he was most comfortable to be at the current moment. But he needed help. There was a sharp twinge of remorse as he gently reminded himself that his growing affection and desire for the boy needed to be put to rest. And if there was anyone who could snap some sense into him, it was Roy Mustang.

Sucking in a mouthful of air, the Lieutenant Colonel held his breath as he eased the door open and stepped into the office. He was pleasantly surprised to find that the office only contained one occupant at the time, the Colonel himself, who was busy signing every piece of parchment his fingertips landed on. That was good; he didn’t need an audience for what was about to be brought to light.

“If you’re going to stand there staring at me all day, I suggest you take a picture. I have work to do, Maes.” Roy didn’t even glance up from his paperwork as he spoke, continuing to scrawl his messy signature across the surface of each before turning his attention to the next one on the pile.

The man in the doorway nervously cleared his throat, closing the door behind him and walking towards the man sitting behind the large oak desk... His friend... His confidant... His only hope for reason. “Actually,” he began, “I need to talk to you...”

Again not turning away from his paperwork, a gloved hand motioned for Hughes to sit and begin explaining the intrusion. It was as though he had become a marionette, numbly taking a seat on the chair before the Colonel and snapping his mouth open and shut like a mindless idiot in a desperate attempt to tell his best friend what had happened. For a lifetime, it seemed, no sound came out of his mouth, and it became apparent that this small fact was frustrating Roy to an inconceivable extent. Hughes could clearly see the vein protruding from the Colonel’s forehead, despite being partially obscured by the midnight bangs.

Colonel Mustang suddenly stood from his chair, bringing his fists down angrily on the wooden surface before him. “Out with it, Hughes!”

“I’m in love with someone!” Disbelieving hands clapped themselves over his mouth and his green eyes shut tight as the realization of what he had just said hit him like a freight train. He heard a loud, almost resigned, sigh from across the desk and bleakly opened an eye to see his friend pinch at the bridge of his nose in exasperation.

“Yes, yes, I know. You’ve got yourself a fine wife and a beautiful daughter... That’s all fine and dandy, Hughes, but, if possible, could I return to my job?”

Hughes didn't respond. He couldn’t. Slowly he turned away from Roy, one hand rising up to wipe some stray tears from his eyes... He didn’t understand. Why would he? Everyone alive knew how much he adored the family he had, so why would anyone even suspect that he was talking about something- someone- completely different.  

The Colonel immediately noticed a change in his friend’s behavior. Typically when he would brag about his doting family, it was all Roy could do to shut him up... But now... He glanced down at the mountains of paperwork, deciding that he had already been interrupted for the day and so there was no point in returning to it now. Marching over to the other side of the desk, Mustang gripped his companion’s shoulder, spinning the subordinate around in the chair and starting at Maes’ appearance.  

His face was white as a sheet and his entire body was trembling violently with quieted sobs, the evidence of which were slowly making wet trails down his flushed cheeks. The hands that were clasped over his mouth shook with the rest of him and appeared to be holding his face, almost painfully so, and the breaths he inhaled through his nose were noisy and jarred.

Roy was dumbfounded. He grabbed Hughes's other shoulder, as if he were trying to hold the broken pieces of his friend together to keep them from falling apart. "Hughes…What the hell…?"  

Hughes averted his gaze. "You'll…you're not going to like this, Roy."  

“Tell me, Maes... What’s happened?” Mustang whispered, crouching in front of his friend to try to get him to look him in the eyes. The teary-eyed man removed his hands from his mouth and snorted harshly. 

“I told you already, didn’t I? I’ve fallen in love with someone... Someone I shouldn’t be in love with, but am... as if life could ever just cut me some slack...” He once again averted his eyes, choosing instead to look at the ceiling... or perhaps he was searching for the one everyone called “God”... he didn’t know. In that moment, he truly didn’t care… 

“Who, Maes? Who is it?” Roy pleaded, begging for his friend to spare him the unsettling agony of waiting for the answer. Maes Hughes barked out a laugh, one without any trace of humor in it and leaned back in the chair, eyes locking with Roy’s.  

“I’m surprised you have to ask... After all, who else do I spend time with apart from yourself and Gracia? Who else would cause this much unrest inside of me at the realization of my feelings for him? Who else but the famed ‘Fullmetal Alchemist’?”  

The shocked gasp echoed through the large office, and the Colonel jerked his hands away from his friend as though they had been scalded. For a long while, a deep silence settled over the two of them, Hughes sitting calmly with his hands placed neatly in his lap, and Mustang leaning against the desk, using the frame for support.  

"Hughes," Roy whispered, gripping the wood beneath his fingers, "I'm going to assume this is all a joke, and you have just become very good at pulling fast ones. Now, please tell me this is all a prank or…or something!" The ghost of the response which left the seated man’s lips nearly tore the Colonel’s heart in two.  

“I wish it were...” It was in that moment that Roy knew very well that his friend wasn’t pulling his leg, wasn’t joking around with him... and that his friend was in some serious shit.  

Roy's eyes widened. "B-but, he's just a kid, Maes! For God’s sake! He’s only thirteen! And you! You have Gracia! And what about Elicia?!"  

Hughes could only continue to stare at the floor. "I…I don't know. I... I still love them both dearly... you know I do! But... I just thought you should know. I knew you'd hate me for this..."  

Roy snorted. "Oh, don't put this on me, you dramatic fool. Your personal activities are the least of my worries. I’m just worried about your unsuspecting family… and Fullmetal, for that matter! Christ, Maes! He’s got enough on his plate at the moment, don’t you think?" Hughes sniffed from his position in the chair and Roy sighed heavily.   

“Maes... you know this can’t continue... A lot of things are being risked here. Not only your job, but also Fullmetal’s... His military clearance is his only chance at restoring his brother... If this got out...”  

“He has nothing to do with it, Roy! It’s not like I’ve discussed this with him!” The thick silence settled over them once more, before the seated man stood quickly, knocking the wooden chair over in the process. 

“I need to think...” he explained as he turned and strode from the office. The Colonel quickly reached out and wrapped his fingers tightly around his friend’s bicep, stopping him in his tracks. 

“Maes... please... take my advice just this once? Stop this before it gets out of hand. The consequences come at too high a cost for this to turn out in any way other than disastrous. If this little conflict isn’t resolved by the end of the work week... I will put a stop to it myself... Is that understood?” In response, the Lieutenant Colonel ripped his arm from the man’s grasp and stalked over to the door, cocking his head over his shoulder before he left to address the raven-haired man once more: 

“Stay out of my business, Roy.”

~*~*~

Cold water splashed across his face, droplets of water hitting the nape of his neck and causing him to shiver as they soaked through his shirt collar. Tiredly, Hughes rubbed his eyes and slicked his mussed hair back into its sloppy style and studied himself in the mirror, taking time to notice his worn expression before suddenly realizing he wasn’t alone.  

As the Fullmetal Alchemist stepped from one of the closer shower stalls, a simple towel wrapped loosely around his waist, the Lieutenant Colonel’s eyes went wide in disbelief. Hadn’t he come here to get away from his impure thoughts? Yet, here was the source of his desire, standing before him dripping wet, toned upper body practically glistening in the brightly lit bathroom, with that stupid innocent smirk on his face.  

“Oh, sorry Lieutenant Colonel! I didn’t think anyone else was in here... Just give me a minute and I’ll be out of your hair!” He exclaimed, chuckling slightly as he ran his fingers through the dripping blonde locks and hiked the towel up slightly around his waist. The covering left absolutely nothing to the imagination as the droplets ran over each curve on the teen’s torso, dipping down into the sharply accented ‘V’ before continuing past the towel to- 

Hughes slammed his face into the hard reflective surface, effectively cutting of all other indecent thoughts of the near-naked boy behind him. However, this method of distraction was probably not the best option as it left a very startled Edward to discern what exactly had just happened.  

“Did... did you just smack your head... against the mirror?” The Lieutenant Colonel turned to face the Major and was met with a very baffled expression on the youth’s face. Hughes lifted a palm to nurse the growing goose egg at the center of his forehead and groaned loudly, not at the pounding headache he was now fighting, but at the painful strain at the front of his pants. In his surprise, Edward hadn’t been monitoring his only source of decency and the cloth had slipped ever lower on his hips, canceling out Maes’ self-inflicted pain and furthering his arousal.  

“Uhm yeah... It’s the best way for me to wake up in the mornings...” He offered, praying the excuse would stick. “... Speaking of, what are you doing here? Don’t you have a private shower in your dorm?”  

“Eh... It’s way too cramped... I’m too accustomed to the showers at your place... They had so much more room! And, believe it or not, the water pressure in here is better for me: not as harsh on my scarred tissue.” He laughed, gesturing to the gleaming auto mail on his right arm. It was all Maes could do to simply smile at the kid and not throw him against the wall and sooth the painful ache between his legs. Every move Edward made, his rippling muscles beneath the tanned skin, his long, dripping blonde hair falling across his shoulders, it only served to turn him on further...   

He had to leave... If he stayed in the alchemist’s presence for any longer, he knew he was sure to do something he would regret.  

“I have to... uh... Papers to... go...” He muttered, feeling the blood rush to his face. Without another word, he turned and raced for the exit, barely noticing Edward’s returning concern.  

“Okay... I guess I’ll see you later, Hughes!” Being polite, the Lieutenant Colonel quickly turned back to offer his apologies and return the farewell before his world stopped completely.  

Edward Elric... had dropped the towel. 

 

It didn’t seem as though the blonde had any awareness of the fact that the older man was still in the room with him and went about pulling his fresh clothes from the carrying bag on the bench. As much as he tried and begged his eyes to look away from Edward’s perfectly toned, beautifully tanned, rippling backside, Maes found he was unable to look anywhere else. Finally, the teen stretched his muscular arms far above his head, reaching behind his head to pleat the golden hair in three sections, no doubt in preparation for his signature braid, and Maes lost it.  

He deftly heard the lock turn on the door behind him and realized that he himself had done it. Sealing his fate, as well as the young alchemist’s.  

There was no turning back now. Edward had tempted him, brought him to the point of no return, and now he was going to show him what so often happened when one played with fire. His steps lengthened as he neared the boy, already beginning to feel the warmth of the other’s body. He envied every strand of honey hair that kissed the surface of his skin, their tips brushing so low on his back that they perfectly framed his exquisite backside.  

Before the teen could wrap the tie around the end of his now completed braid, his shoulders were tightly gripped by the older man, who then spun him around and smashed their lips together. The kiss was bruisingly painful and, at the sudden collision, all cognition seemingly left Edward’s mind, leaving him unaware of how to respond to the older man. When he finally regained awareness of the situation and realized the severity of his predicament, Hughes already had him trapped against the shower wall, moving his lips hungrily against Edward’s.  

“Mmph!!” His lungs screamed at him, begging for air, but Hughes was persistent and wouldn’t allow their lips to separate. Never before had the teen realized the brutal strength possessed by the Lieutenant Colonel. Nothing he had attempted thus far had worked against the man’s advances, and he was being pressed hard against the cold surface behind him with staggering force. His head swam from the lack of oxygen to his brain.   

Edward rashly brought his auto mail fist up, crashing it into the side of Maes’ head and simultaneously brought his upper teeth down hard on the man’s lip, earning a gasp in rebuttal. The blonde slumped to the floor, finally escaping the tight grasp, and sucked in a mouthful of air, yielding to the blessed return of his senses.  

“What the hell, Hughes?!” He gasped as soon as he was able to think straight. Lieutenant Colonel Maes Hughes, head of Department of Investigations, best friend of Colonel Roy Mustang, family of Elicia and Gracia Hughes, and father figure to both Alphonse and himself... had kissed him. The raven-haired man brought up a tentative hand to his split lip, staring in shock at the resulting blood on his fingertips before focusing on the boy before him once more. Edward felt a chill run up his spine. He didn’t like the way the older man was looking at him: as though he were a special prize... or dinner... He snapped his legs shut as Hughes’s gaze lingered there for far longer than was necessary.   

“.... Hughes?” The man didn’t respond. Stripping from the outermost layers of his traditional military attire, Maes Hughes slowly strode towards his target, green eyes never leaving Edward’s gold. The neurons in the alchemist’s brain were on rapid fire, telling him to run, to scream, to get away. Anything to escape that frightening gleam in the man’s eye. But Edward couldn’t move, couldn’t even blink. He was absolutely frozen in terror, unsure of what had possessed his friend to behave so savage... and so suddenly.  

When his limbs finally processed the terrified commands from his brain, Hughes’s breath was fanning across his face. Edward quickly brought his legs under him, attempting to scramble up from his position against the wall, but only managed to crawl a few paces before he felt a firm hand wrap around his auto mail ankle. Startled, he kicked back with his right leg, trying to get away from the advancing man by any means necessary, and felt that ankle quickly become captive as well.  

“No... no! Stop! Please!” Edward abruptly lost his balance and felt his chin crack harshly against the linoleum tile as his head fell to the floor. Using his knee to pin the auto mail leg, Hughes moved his hold on the alchemist to grab his left wrist, anticipating the reaction it would earn him.  

Sure enough, the steel arm swung back violently as Edward twisted himself around beneath him with a startled yelp, eyes wide with terror. Hughes nimbly dodged the attack and released his grip on the boy, allowing for his momentum to turn him onto his back, before pinning him beneath him once more, hands holding the wrists high above the boy’s head. Edward bucked and thrashed around on the floor, twisting his body like a worm to try to break free from his assailant.  

“You owe me, Fullmetal... After everything I’ve done for you and young Alphonse...” the velvety voice whispered in his ear. The smile on his face faded the instant he saw a tear trickle down the child’s cheek. He brought the boy’s wrists together under his right arm, being sure to keep his hands out of reach of each other, and used his left hand to wipe away the residue of Edward’s fear.  

“No crying now... It’ll be fun.” There wasn’t a single moment where the blonde believed a word from his captor, but the boy’s shocked silence seemed to placate Maes and he quickly hooked his arm underneath Edward’s right leg, draping the knee over his shoulder. The position only served to widen the youth’s eyes even further and he was utterly stunned into silence. If there had been any doubt as to what the man had been planning to do to him before, they were now erased from his mind completely.  

His fate was clear.

 

“Please! Please, don’t! Stop! Stop!!” Hughes paid the boy no mind and switched hands, grasping the wrists with his left, while slowly unzipping his fly with his right. He couldn’t be bothered by such trivial things as Edward’s pleading when the boy was laid beneath him at such a wonderful angle.  

His face was flushed a tantalizing shade of pink, which flowed across to his ears and fanned down over his chest. He looked so beautiful in his embarrassment: His eyes shining with his unshed tears, golden hair splayed atop the floor above his head, trembling chest rapidly rising and falling with his increased adrenaline.  

As Maes freed himself from the confines of the suffocating breaches, he allowed himself only a selfish stroke or two before lining himself against the awaiting entrance. Glancing up at his love, almost as though he were asking permission, he was delighted to see the tears spill over his lids and cascade down the sides of his face.

 

His lips trembled, whispering a small, “...please”, before Hughes thrust himself completely within his warmth, burying himself to the hilt, and shattering Edward’s world into a million tiny pieces.  

~*~*~ 

 

“Was there something I could do for you, Fullmetal? Or are you simply standing in my doorway for the view?” The gravel voice snapped Edward from his daze, and he realized that he had arrived in the Colonel’s office. By the irritated tone in the man’s voice, he gathered he must have been standing on the threshold of the large room for a number of minutes without so much as a word. Glancing at the First Lieutenant before settling his eyes on the raven-haired man himself, he briefly contemplated running from the room as fast as his legs could carry him.  

“No... I...” Edward cleared his throat, which still remained raspy and raw from the amount of screaming he had done only minutes ag- No. He wouldn’t think about that now... There would be time later, but as of now, he needed to focus on what was important. “I need to talk to you...” Then, with a sideways glance at Lieutenant Hawkeye, he quickly added, “alone, if possible.” Riza merely blinked once in response.  

“Of course, Edward. We can certainly continue this meeting after you’ve left... I’ll return later, Sir.” With that, she fluidly exited the room, failing to notice the way the teen tensed slightly as she brushed passed him on her way to the door. Silence settled over the two men after the door clicked shut, neither speaking or meeting the other’s eye. Edward could feel himself trembling, both from the tremendous effort it took for his throbbing limbs to hold his body upright as well as the fear and anticipation of admitting the reality of his situation to his commanding officer. And Roy Mustang, nonetheless...  

“Unless you’ve failed to notice, Fullmetal, we are, in fact, alone now... Was there something you nee-” He was abruptly interrupted as Edward suddenly dropped to the floor where he stood with a pained sob, shaking knees no longer able to support his weight. Nonplussed by the teen’s unexpected collapse, Roy jumped up from his chair, sending it flying back against the far wall, and ran to the boy’s side.  

“Fullmetal! Edward!” He dropped to his knees in front of his subordinate and gripped his shoulders, searching his figure for any sort of outstanding injury. The thick bangs shaded Edward’s face, preventing him from seeing the obvious pain and torment etched into his features. The longer he stayed on the floor, the more uncomfortable the position became for him and his body began to shake with the effort to contain his agonized cries.  

“Ed! What is it? Talk to me!” Roy exclaimed the moment he felt the blonde begin to tremble in his arms. Then, without warning, Edward flung himself into the Colonel’s embrace, burying his face into the older man’s neck and gripping onto the cobalt uniform as tightly as he dared with his auto mail hand. The pressure was temporarily taken off of his backside and, for that, he was grateful, though the pain didn’t seem to ebb any.  

“I can’t... He... Colonel... It hurts.. It hurts...” The Colonel was rendered speechless in the moment that he felt the moisture against his neck. The blonde was crying. Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist, was crying. ‘The straw which broke the camel’s back’, as everyone around him had always said. “It hurts... I’m sorry... I couldn’t stop him. I- I wasn’t strong enou-” He was cut off by a harsh sob, violently ripping from his throat. Though Roy Mustang was in the room, on the floor, holding the sobbing child, he couldn’t piece together the realization that all of this was actually happening. He had never seen Edward so... vulnerable.  

“What happened?” He all but whispered, hesitantly folding his arms across the child’s back in the most comforting way he was capable of. It was safe to say that Colonel Mustang was out of his element when it came to comfort, having never seen the need for it in his particular line of work... But now, seeing Edward so hurt, so unbelievably broken, he desperately wished he could do more.  

The Major was silent for a long while, the only sounds in the room being his heart-wrenching keens as he cried into Mustang’s shoulder. There was no rush. Roy felt no need to pressure the boy into telling him what had happened to cause him so much pain, though he was sure whoever had hurt him in this way would be facing the unmasked wrath of his entire team as soon as it came to light. The Colonel was so caught up in his own reflections that he almost didn’t hear Edward’s response, spoken so quietly that Roy halfway believed he had imagined it:  

“He r-raped m-m-me...” The world seemed to stand completely still. For nearly a full minute, not even the smallest breath passed the man’s pursed lips. His grip on Edward’s shoulders tightened considerably as he felt the onset of white-hot rage begin to course through his body.  

“Oh my God... How- Fuck it! When did this happen?!” He seethed. His body shook with the anger building inside of him, and his vision flashed red at points. Roy didn’t dare look at the boy, knowing his fury would only be increased exponentially were he to see the actual tears continuing to stain his uniform. 

“A few min-”, another sharp hiccup effectively ended his sentence and Edward breathed deeply before beginning again, “He... he-”  

“By ‘he’... I’m assuming you’re referring to the Lieutenant Colonel...” Edward went still in Roy’s grasp, inhaling slightly at his assailant’s voice title. The metal dexterities tightened their hold on the fabric and the Colonel could distinctly feel the boy’s body tense up and harden, changing his entire demeanor.  

“Edward, I’m so sorry. I never-” The words died on his lips as horrified gold irises peered up at him through the tears, the accusing stare burdening him with unfathomable guilt at having been so blind as to his best friend’s actions.  

“...Y-you knew?” The tender voice was hardly audible as it escaped the confines of his trembling lips. The imploring eyes held no anger or rage for him to see, only the indisputable betrayal at the realization of Roy’s prior knowledge of his predicament.  

“Edw-”  

“You knew?!” The golden irises darkened frighteningly and Edward began to quiver violently, anger replacing all other emotion as he seethed at his commanding officer. Admittedly, this was the first time Roy could remember being afraid of the boy.   

“He... told me of his feelings a few days ago...”, Mustang lamented, “I told him he had to put an end to it or else I would!... but it seems as though that threat didn’t do near enough damage control as exp-” Edward roughly shoved himself away from the Colonel, supporting himself with the majority of his weight on his hands.  

“Get off of me!” Roy reached a hand toward the boy, trying to offer him some reprieve or consolation.  

“Edward-” As the calming hand landed on his shoulder, Edward’s reaction became violent and he ripped the hand from him.  

“DON’T FUCKING TOUCH ME!” With a blinding alchemic reaction, the boy clapped his hands together and transmuted the signature blade on his auto mail arm. In conducting the transmutation, however, Edward had lost his only support in his hands and crashed to the floor, quickly rolling on his back and brandishing the steel towards the Colonel, who could only raise his arms in self-defense.   

A long, agonizing minute slowly became two and the soldiers could do nothing more than stare at one another in the tense stand-off. The emotion in the misty golden irises was positively feral and the older man couldn’t repress the sudden relief washing over him as the weapon was finally lowered.  

Without saying a word to his commanding officer, Edward steadily gathered his legs beneath him and stood, gripping his fingers into the bookcase for support. His legs shook with the tremendous effort, and nearly gave out on him once or twice from sheer exhaustion, but the boy otherwise gave no indication of the pain he was feeling. As he finally righted himself, gasping for air, the Colonel couldn’t help the tear which escaped his eye.  

“... I’m sorry.” Roy could only offer him this insignificant apology, having nothing more to give. He fought the overwhelming urge to race over to the now standing blonde and wrap him up in his arms and cry with him. His stomach lurched horribly at the sight of the small red stain on the area of carpet which Fullmetal had previously occupied. He’s bleeding? What else hasn’t he told me?  

It seemed to be a struggle just to hold himself in a standing position, the man noticed, as he blanched a few times, grabbing the bookcase again for the much-needed support. When the lifeless eyes finally returned their attention to his superior officer, the Colonel hastily wiped the residue from his cheek before Edward spoke:  

“Why didn’t you stop him? You could ha- could have done something! Why didn’t you do anything?!” The anger lacing his voice was practically gone, having now been replaced by the bitterness of his betrayal, and by the reluctance of his final defeat. Roy stood and Edward quickly re-transmuted the steel back into it’s original form, warily eyeing the Colonel as he walked hesitantly to the child’s side.  

“Please.... believe me... I had no idea he was even capable of thinking something like this, let alone actually doing it! If I had noticed anything... suspicious... I would have put an end to it. I hate the fact that I wasn’t able to protect you, when I should have been. When I... could have been...” Roy trailed off, knowing in his heart that no matter what he chose to say in this moment, it would make no difference to the child before him. Nothing mattered anymore. He had failed him... And it was unforgivable.   

Edward suddenly turned towards the exit, saying, “forget it... It was stupid of me to even come here...”  

“No, Edwa-” The blonde spun on his heel, glaring dangerously at the man behind him, his hand on the doorknob, posed to leave. Roy Mustang couldn’t have known that this would be the last time he would see Edward Elric alive.  

The very last time the boy would be in his office, scowling fearlessly at the Flame Alchemist as if daring the man to try and stop him... The last time he would see that obnoxiously bright red coat, folded over the auto mail arm... The last time he would flick back the blonde bangs to prevent them from landing in the defiant golden eyes... The last time he would watch the tears of his vulnerability cascade down the flushed cheeks...   

“Just... don’t. Okay?” ...The last time he would hear his voice... “I don’t need your pity. I don’t need your help... I don’t want it anymore...” ...The last time Edward Elric would leave his office, slamming the door behind him louder than necessary, and leaving everyone to wonder how the wood had managed to cling to its hinges.  

No... Colonel Roy Mustang couldn’t have known that he would be the very last person to see the Fullmetal Alchemist that day before his brother returned home and made the horrifying discovery. He couldn’t have known that Alphonse would be the one to find his older brother’s lifeless form, lying on the crimson-stained floor, unseeing eyes staring straight ahead. He couldn’t have known that Edward Elric would leave his office that day, only to return to the dorms later on and put a bullet through his head...  

He couldn’t have known... If he had, he would have never allowed him to leave...       


End file.
